Jailbird
by HeartsGuardianSol
Summary: Sam's cousin Zeke was missing for the better part of two years before she appeared briefly in Love is This - This Is Love. So here is what she was up to after running away from military school. And FYI the hippies she mentioned? Yeah they weren't hippies...
1. Chapter 1

Okay so for those of ya that Have read either LIT-TIL or TRSL/Reconnecting, You might have been wondering and or have noticed that I had a somewhat mysterious OC mentioned named Zeke. Well... this is her story... so that maybe she and Barricade will stop haunting my brain and let me concentrate on my other stories. The prologue here is from chapter 27 of LIT-TIL. I will hopefully post the next chapter later today. However do note that this story is even more of a side story than Reconnecting is and I will be slowish on the updates for this one.

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><p>Prologue: The Last Night..<p>

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"Cade?"

"Hm?" The holoform's chest vibrated underneath her as it rummbled with his reply.

"Do you ever regret meeting me?" Zeke breathed as she stared up at the stars above.

His arms tightened around her. "No..."

A tear slipped from her left eye as this made her smile a sad smile. "There's no way out of tis is there?"

"Don't say that."

"Cade, even you can't say that they won't try to kill me when this whole grand scheme is done and over with."

"Shh..." He tightened his hold clinging her to himself as it slowly broke his spark to hear the truth spoke aloud.

"Promise me two things?" she said after several minutes of silent crying. She sat up, turning to face him. He noted the glistening tears on her cheek, gently brushing them aside and kissing her softly. He met her amber gaze with his own dimly glowing red one as he rested his forehead on her own.

"What?"

"That you'll remember what I taught you... and that if it comes down to it, you'll fix my mistake... even of it's at the cost of my own life."

His spark wrenched tightly at her request. "You can't ask me to do that."

"Cade this is my fault. We wouldn't even be in this position if it hadn't been for me. I've fucked up so bad and Sam's going to die or become Megatron's plaything because of _me. _Hell I'm expendable at this point. Starbitch will most likely make sure to make me and 'example' to the others and the Autobots. We'll be lucky if Megatron doesn't make you kill me or worse, offlines _you."_ She sobbed into his chest.

"Sweetspark..." Barricade whispered as he ran a hand down her back as he tried to calm her. "You can't ask me disregard your life."

"Barricade I'm as good as dead. Even you know that, and don't tell me not to say it dammit. Promise me you'll help me save Sam, for _me_ please." she whispered into his chest.

"I... Promise..." Barricade whispered as he held his shaking, weeping femme for what was most likely the last time...


	2. Chapter 1: Missing Runaway

Okay so I was a little late on this chapter but hey cut me some slack it's an overly stressful time of the year. Here is the belated chapter 1. Just remember, I warned you that this story would be worked on with less push than my other ones because I'm still working on them first. Thank you.

Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers. And also I made up the name of the military school. Thank you.

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><p>Chapter 1: Missing Runaway..<p>

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**Two years earlier than the events in the prologue...**

_I'm done with this... _Zeke glared up at the darkened hall as she adjusted her backpack over her shoulder wincing slightly as her shoulder objected to the weight. Everything she had to her name was in the bag, well... everything she had collected here in the years since she came to this place. A one fingered salute to her former prison and she spun around as ran off into the night.

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Ezekiel Jean Hamilton. Age 16. Last known location, Fort Southertons Military Academy, Date: June 17th. Height 5' 7", Weight 135 lbs. Caucasian. Hair color: Black, Eyes: Brown.

Sam sighed. Sam sighed as he stared over the information. He had just gotten off of the phone with his mother, who was worried that his cousin was lying dead in a ditch somewhere, or worse... been kidnapped by the Decepticons... Sam had spent the better part of the week going over things in the IT department looking for anything that might have shown any 'Con activity in the area of the school but the techs and Jazz both confirmed that there was none whatsoever... It had been over two months since Zeke had gone missing.

It had been only two weeks since Sam and Judy had been informed. Sam's aunt, the girl's stepmother had never considered informing Judy. It had taken Judy, in the midst of her and Ron's newest cross country tour, and a surprise visit to her only niece to discover that the girl had completely vanished off the radar.

Guit plauged Sam the instant he had gotten his mother's first frenzied phone call. At first it had taken him twenty minutes of trying to understand her before he gave up and called his father's cell to talk to someone that was able to speak with clarity... Even if Ron's tone was laced with barely controlled livid rage.

Sam sighed again as he set the missing file aside and ran a hand over his face. _Oh Zeke... Where are you?_

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Zeke let of a violent sneeze banging her head into the hood of the car she was working on. Jonah the mechanic that owned the garage looed over at her. "Ya okay kid? Ya aint comming down wit somat are ya?" The old man blinked at her.

"Yeah I'm good." the sixteen year old girl smiled.

"Perhaps ya oughta taka break girl."

"Are you sure Jonah?"

"Yeah get out an get some sun. Just don't let the truancy officer find ya."

Zeke flashed him a smile and wiped her hands on an oil rag. She grabbed a soda out of her back and exited the junk shop and made her way over to sit out in the yard.

The girl popped the cap off the glass bottle and took a swig, thinking over her next course of action... It had been two months since she had left the military academy, and desite being basically homeless relatively happy... _It must driving _her _insane knowing she can't control me anymore..._ the girl smirked as she thought about her stepmother. She smirked for a minute more before her cheer dimmed at what her father would say about her running away... _He's probably spinning in his grave..._

Zeke sighed and glanced at the garage where the old man was working away... She had run into him over a month ago when he found her sleeping in one of the old Junkers out in the yard. After giving the girl a stern telling off he had come up with a proposition for the girl. He offered her the junked car she had taken refuge in, but she had to fix it herself... Once it was fixed she was gone. Zeke couldn't argue with that... the main plus to the whole thing was that he didn't call the cops on her yet...

Zeke sighed as she leaned up against the beat up car. Jonah had told her it was a mustang... Meaning the damned thing was going to cost her an arm and leg in gas, if she was even able to fix the damned thing. The front axle was broken, there was a crack in the block head, and the left rear tire was missing all together in the first place...

There was no way she could afford the parts... it would eat the remainder of her money she had saved... Zeke sighed... I'm going to have to get another job...

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Barricade had been stasis for several years when his processor finally onlined... His nanites had finally stabilized him for him to where his processor could comeback online... He scanned his surroundings only to realize that he was in human Junk yard... Worse there was a fleshling stretched out in his back seat. Barricade's engine growled lowly, but the human didn't stir from it's sleep...

He tried to move and almost cursed in pain as he realized the condition he was in. He groaned softly as he mentally cursed the Autobots -Specifically Bumblebee- who had been among the trio that had cornered him in Arkansas... His current position was in Missouri so he must have been towed here after he had fallen into stasis... He sighed and diverted his nanites to repairing his engine block and comm link... He was going to need them if he was to get out of here...

Sometime later closer to daybreak a sudden beeping noise from the creature's watch jolted the creature awake with a curse.

"Shit, I can't be late." the girl cursed as she sat up and began to strip her clothing off. Barricade steadily became annoyed as she fidgeted into a new set of clothes before bolting out of his interior like petro hounds were after her.

Barricade vented irritably as the femme ran off.


End file.
